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Decorating, Holiday decorating, Home Tour

Holiday Home Tour 2017

Happy Holidays! I can’t believe the holidays are here once again. This will be my seventh holiday home tour shared with you. I honestly can not believe I’ve been running this little old blog of mine since 2010. (These are my holiday home tours from 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.) You may have noticed there was a gap, because in 2012 I was up to my ear-plugged ears building our kitchen back after a water leak. But, enough about moldy messes and termite damage, won’t you come in for the annual holiday home tour.

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

In the past I’ve dressed up my faux wreaths (with less than $20 in supplies) for the front doors, but this year a pair of live pine wreaths whispered my name at Lowe’s. Obviously, I caved.

I’m participating in a group tour with several other fabulous home bloggers.

You’ll definitely want to see inside each of their homes:

Just a Girl
Home Stories A to Z
Honey We’re Home
Tatertots and Jello
Hi Sugarplum
A Thoughtful Place
Not Just a Housewife
Centsational Style
The Inspired Room
320 Sycamore
Thrifty Decor Chic

Be sure to go see Sawdust Girl’s holiday home tour tomorrow!

Because I consider you a friend, why don’t you come in through the mudroom entrance. That’s the door we use, only solicitors come to the front door.

Feel free to take your coat off and stay for a while.

I’m brewing some fresh coffee and would love to offer you my own version of a mocha latte. Or you can make your own specialty coffee at the coffee bar I set up.

The table is set for the holidays. This year I chose to decorate with blue Spode plates and pretty blue-green eucalyptus leaves.

In the corner I set up a vintage Flexible Flyer sled under the winter words chalkboard art. If you like my sign, I have a free printable you can download for yourself here.

Now that you have a hot drink in hand, let’s head into the living room.

This year I decorated using rustic accents and neutrals. The camellias and rose hips are picked fresh from the yard. Nothing beats free greenery!

I did purchase some pine bough rope, a package of paperwhites, and eucalyptus leaves on the cheap for the rest of my natural decorations.

The wreath over the mantel is a combination of two wreaths and some eucalyptus leaves tucked into it. I love the natural feel of this casual green wreath.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting the paperwhites to bloom. It should be any day now.

Let’s head into the heart of the home, our kitchen.

This room was a labor of love for certain. It took me 13 months to build the kitchen back after a water leak and subsequent mold left us with an empty room down to the studs.

But, the upside of all the damage was I was able to make design changes to the room. One of those changes involved building a built-in window seat bench with storage inside. This freed up room in the kitchen as we can push the table up against the window seat.

I don’t usually add much to the kitchen except some simple touches like a beaded garland on the chandelier. I admit, I like it so much I’ve left it on the light well into late January sometimes. Can you blame me?

Adding the wreaths to the window this year seemed like a fun way to reuse these little faux boxwood wreaths.

And of course, one wreath on the custom range hood I built.

I always enjoy adding some winter decor to the built in desk and wall-mounted hutch in the corner of our kitchen.

Blue Mason jars with epson salt and a votive candles bring a little snow vibe into the house.

The front foyer is where we keep my boys’ advent calendars. I was thinking there will come a day when they are off to college and it won’t seem right not having the advent calendars here. The thought makes me a bit melancholy, especially since our oldest will be a freshman in high school next year. That leaves me with four more years having both boys under my roof. *sniff, sniff*

I hope you are having a wonderful Holiday season and are able to avoid all the rushing around. Thank you so much for visiting my home today.

December 20, 2017/13 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Decorating, Holiday decorating

DIY Stocking Holders from Scrap Wood

Decorate your mantel for Christmas with these DIY stocking holders made of scrap wood!

Hi there, Pretty Handy Girl readers! I’m Vineta from The Handyman’s Daughter, back with another tutorial for you! I have a mountain of wood scraps in my workshop, and the hardest pieces to use up are those pesky 2 x 4 end cuts. Lucky for you, I figured out an adorable way to use them! Feast your eyes on those gorgeous gift-wrapped stocking holders for your mantel!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Scrap 2 x 4
Router or chisel
Mantel hooks
Wrapping paper and bows
Hot glue gun

Instructions:

Gather up your scrap 2 x 4 pieces, especially those really ugly ones! Mine had paint splatters, stain samples and random pocket holes. Cut all to the same size.

Center the mantel hooks and mark the width on the bottom of the scrap wood.

Cut a channel deep enough for the mantel hook to sit in. (I used a router for this, but you could chip it out with a chisel, use a Dremel, or use a table saw.

Cut a piece of wrapping paper big enough to cover the entire wood block. Fold the bottom edge then line up the cut channel end with the edge of the fold.

Wrap the wrapping paper around the sides of the block and tape it in the back.

Fold the top of the wrapping paper like a present, with the tape on the back side.

Add a festive bow to the front. Cut a notch in the wrapping paper at the front and back of the cut groove and fold it inward.

Apply hot glue to the groove and attach the mantel hook. (I cut my grooves a little too deep, so I filled in the extra space with more hot glue until the metal was flush with the surface of the wood.)

These hooks stretch over the mantel and clamp around the edge securely with its grippy surface. Now you don’t have to worry about little ones or pets pulling heavy stockings down on their heads! Santa can load up them with goodies and they won’t budge!

I love how all these stocking holders look lined up on the mantel. It was totally worth suffering through our fireplace remodel last year for this!

These stockings are all ready for Santa!

Want more ideas for hanging your stocking? I’ve rounded up 14 more stocking holders to buy or DIY, even if you don’t have a fireplace!

Have a wonderful holiday, and I’ll be back with another tutorial in the New Year!

~ view more of Vineta’s projects ~

December 6, 2017/1 Comment/by Vineta Jackson

arts and craft, Decorating, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, wreath

Make an Elegant Holiday Wreath for Less than $20

Have you ever been in a home decor store and fell head over heels in love with a wreath only to gag at the $50 or more price tag? Put your wallet away, because today I want to show you how you can turn an inexpensive wreath into an Elegant Holiday Wreath for Less than $20! Who knows, you might already have one of these cheap wreaths and some of the supplies in storage — making your cost almost FREE!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions:

Remove anything you don’t want to keep from your store bought wreath. Fluff out the wreath by bending the branches to make it look larger and more full.

Grab your tree picks and decide where you want to place them on the wreath. Use strong wire cutters to cut off some of the length from the stems.

Curve the main branch of the tree pick so it mimics the curve of the wreath. Push the end of the stem under some of the wreath branches then back up so there is tension to hold the pick in place. Wrap some wreath branches around the entire pick to hold it firmly and disguise the stem. (If you are using heavier tree picks, you can secure them using floral wire.)

Repeat the process for the other tree picks. Leave a blank space at the top for the ribbon.

Time to add some color! Make a u-shape with some floral wire and push it through the top of an ornament. Place the ornament on the wreath. Wrap the floral wire around the wreath, twist the wire to secure from the backside of the wreath.

Evenly space the remaining ornaments, then attach with florist wire.

To complete the wreath, take a length of ribbon and loop it around the top of the wreath. You can tie a bow if that is your preference, but I prefer the simple look this year.

And there you have it! An elegant holiday wreath for less than $20 made in just a few minutes.

Here’s the video tutorial showing you how incredibly easy this Elegant Holiday Wreath was to make:

Display your new beautiful wreath on your front door for the entire holiday season!

The great thing about this wreath is you can customize it to any design style or color scheme. Plus, you can change it up each year!

Pin this image and remember: Never spend more than $20 on an Elegant Wreath again!

DIY Corbel Curtain Rod Holders

Hello Pretty Handy Girl readers! You know what costs too much? Curtain rods. Personally, I have a curtain addiction that is matched only by my addiction to accent pillows, but let’s face it, people notice the curtains, not the curtain rod and holders. Amiright?!

It doesn’t have to be. Rachel at Maison de Pax came up with a genius idea for Restoration Hardware inspired curtain rod and holders. Taking off from her ideas I’m going to show you a curtain rod holder idea that goes brilliantly with a wooden rod.

These mini corbels by Osborne Wood Products are a stunning statement piece and look upscale. Let’s get busy making your room look amazing with these DIY Corbel Curtain Rod Holders!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Mission Style Corbels from Osborne Wood (2 per window)
Drill
1 1/2″ hole saw
Thin scrap wood

Optional:

Paint
Stain
Paint Brush

(This tutorial assumes you are using a 1 ½” diameter curtain rod with an actual measurement of 1 3/8″).

Instructions:

Step 1:

Protect the bottom side of the corbel as you drill through by layering scrap wood underneath as shown, otherwise the wood will blow out on the other side.

You will need to remove the bottom screw from the top bracket, as shown in the next photo so that it won’t be in the way of the hole saw.

Insert the 1 ½” hole saw into your drill. (You can also use a spade bit if you prefer.)

Clamp the corbel down and drill through the corbel in the wide spot between the trim and near the top. You may need to drill half way through one side, then flip the corbel and drill from the opposite side.

Don’t worry if the two sides don’t meet up exactly perfect, but do try to be as close as you can.

Step 2:

Stain and/or paint the corbels as desired. You could add whitewashing or distressing or any other technique you like.

Step 3:

Attach the corbels to the wall.

Pro-Tip: An easy way to line up the holes is to place a piece of painters tape over the back and mark where the screws need to go. Transfer the tape to the wall and you have an easy drilling template.

Be sure to space the corbels evenly from your window trim and the ceiling. Drive screws into studs whenever possible. (If you don’t have a stud to sink the screws into, be sure to use good wall anchors.)

Step 4:

Hang the corbels and rod. Be sure the screws are screwed in far enough that the corbel sits firmly against the wall. This will prevent them from moving around and allowing the rod to slip whenever you open or close the curtains.

How lovely is this?! You just added a designer touch to your window treatments.

The corbels look amazing with our new window trim and they add a more sophisticated look to the room.

Thanks for reading!

~See More Projects by Sarah~

Disclosure: Osborne Wood Products provided the mini corbels (in our Haven swag bags) that was the inspiration for this project.

If you liked this idea, be sure to check out Brittany’s guide to hanging curtain rods:

and how to make inexpensive romantic curtains!

October 18, 2017/9 Comments/by Sarah Home

Decorating, Door, Home Decor

16 Stunningly Beautiful Green Doors

Stunning Green Doors:

I admit it, I’m crushing on green doors lately. If you know me well, you know that I painstakingly stripped my front doors a few years ago and repainted them bright green. Now I’ve been thinking more and more about front door colors for Saving Etta. I hope you’ll help me decide by taking a look at all these fabulous green doors!

Did you know that a colorful and vibrant door can make a huge statement in your home? Whether it is exterior or interior, a green door is a great choice. (Hey, if you’re superstitious, it may even bring some cash your way.) Here is a collection of stunning green hued doors to inspire you to paint your door.

This lovely, bright green door by Houseful of Handmade adds a dramatic focal point to a room.

This green door near London, looks right at home with all the greenery around it.

Jungle green is a gorgeous contrast to the brick on Emily A Clark’s home.

This arts and crafts style house is the perfect canvas to showcase deep green doors with matching benches.

You can add green to your screen or storm door for some major curb appeal like Christine, the DIY Dreamer did on her house.

The extremely light mint green on this Entryway Door by Craftivity Designs is pure perfection in this space.

This bright chartreuse door looks beautiful with neutral ivory siding.

When you want to renovate a room and make a statement, take a lesson from Natalie at A Turtle’s Life for Me: Paint a door (or two) bold spring green.

An aqua blue-green door adds loads of charm to this adorable bungalow in downtown Raleigh, NC.

The Brits really know how to showcase their colorful doors, like this green door spotted in Eaton.

This bright green door was formerly royal purple, but after a little stripping it gets a lot more compliments.

Lighten up your entryway and add curb appeal like Shabby Fufu did with her Seafoam Green doors.

This gorgeous Green Door by Farmhouse Made is perfect for this home.

An Olive green door by Oliver and Rust gives the entry a fresh, clean look.

Kelly green shows up beautifully against this old stone house. Add some colorful planters to really bump up the curb appeal.

And talk about WOW factor! I found the above green door online here.

I hope this collection gave you some inspiration on how to use green to add some character and pizzazz to your home. If you like this round up of stunning green door inspiration, pin this image to share it: